Wednesday Wisdom 01
The mental gymnastics that my brain goes through to spell Wednesday correctly remains puzzling to me, no matter how old I get. Kinda like life.
There’s no doubt I need God’s wisdom to guide me every day. But I need extra on Wednesdays. 
Life is like a box of chocolates.
-Forrest Gump
What better way to kick off Wednesday Wisdom than by quoting Forrest Gump, eh?
We all know Forrest (actually, Forrest’s momma) had something there.
Life IS like a box of chocolates, and no, you DON’T know what you’re gonna get.
The forecasts and the actuals of our lives go out of sync all the time.
We get rain when we’d planned for sun.
An East Coast move when we’d hoped for the West.
A bracelet when we wanted a ring, or even a shrinking family tree instead of a flourishing one.
Disappointments and disillusionments are commonplace for most of us as we tread these winding roads of life. So what’s a humble human to do to find the bright side?
Well, we look for it.
But that can be hard to do.
As a Christian, my life lens is faith-focused.
That certainly doesn’t make every obstacle easy for me, but I look to God for wisdom.
Here’s a familiar Bible verse I try to meditate on often:
Finally brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy — dwell on these things.
-Philippians 4:8 (CSB)
That really helps me get my mind right whenever I’ve bitten into one of those undesirable life chocolates. You know the ones. Looked super appealing, but had a filling that was all burnt licorice and gasoline.
Somewhere in my journal I’ll ask God (at least on my better days I’ll ask God), “Is there anything at all that is true, honorable, just, pure or lovely about this situation?
Anything commendable, excellent or praiseworthy about what it’s produced in me or in someone else? If so, can You please help me to see it?”
Those adjectives become a guide to help me reframe the things in life that didn’t go the way I’d hoped.
Now, I’m not saying every single thing that happens (or doesn’t happen) to you will always ultimately make sense.
Life is full of riddles, and the answers don’t always come.
But you don’t have to dwell on drama that kills your peace.
To me, having peace of mind is far more important than stewing over the Hallmark-esque ending that never came.
At some point down the road, you may indeed have a-ha moments about some of those bitter chocolates.
Maybe that rainy day prevented you from showing up some place you shouldn’t have been, or you were diverted from an accident you never knew about.
That West Coast life move may have landed you inside of the wrong place at the wrong time.
And don’t even get me started on how shiny rings lose their sparkle if you realize the gift giver wasn’t meant for you.
Of course, I believe the death of a loved one is one of the toughest emotional hills for anyone to climb in this life, but over time even that can be better framed into a celebration of what you had instead of a constant focus on what you lost.
Overall, I want to be a person poised with gratitude, not one who constantly navigates anger, frustration and regret. Maybe you do too.
Because not all of those chocolates in the box turn out to be disappointments. Sometimes, the pretty packaging delivers. And having the right attitude about whatever the contents are, can make them all taste just a little bit sweeter.